Pope Francis visits Russian embassy to Vatican ‘to show his concern’ at Ukraine conflict

Hannah Brockhaus   By Hannah Brockhaus for CNA

February 25, 2022 Catholic News Agency News Briefs 3 Print

 

Pope Francis prays with journalists on the papal flight to South Korea, Aug. 14, 2014. / Alan Holdren/CNA.

Vatican City, Feb 25, 2022 / 04:57 am (CNA).

Pope Francis visited the Russian Embassy to the Holy See on Friday morning, according to the Vatican press office.

The Vatican said on Feb. 25 that the pope went to the embassy “to show his concern for the war.”

The visit lasted a little more than a half hour, the Holy See press office said.

The Russian Embassy to the Holy See is located on Via della Conciliazione, the broad street leading to St. Peter’s Basilica.

Speaking after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said that wisdom was needed to save the world “from the folly and horrors of war.”

“The tragic scenes which everyone feared are unfortunately becoming reality,” Parolin said in a video statement.

On Feb. 23, a day before Russia invaded Ukraine, Pope Francis called for a day of prayer and fasting for peace on Ash Wednesday, March 2.

Expressing great sadness at the worsening situation in Ukraine, Pope Francis asked world leaders to “make a serious examination of conscience before God.”

“I have great pain in my heart over the worsening situation in Ukraine,” Pope Francis said at his public audience in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall.

This was the second global day of prayer for Ukraine that Pope Francis has called since the crisis began to escalate in 2022.

Pope Francis has a long-standing connection with Ukraine. During a visit to the Ukrainian Catholic community in Rome in 2018, he recalled that a Ukrainian bishop in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires had taught him when he was 12 years old how to be an altar server at Eastern Rite liturgies and read the Ukrainian alphabet.

As pope, he has consistently shown his concern for Ukrainians. In 2016, he launched a charitable project, called “The Pope for Ukraine,” that has helped more than a million people.

He presided last month over a worldwide day of prayer for peace in Ukraine.

Aleksandr Avdeyev, Russia’s ambassador to the Holy See, said last week that Pope Francis could meet the head of the Russian Orthodox Church in June or July.

The Russian news agency Tass reported that Avdeyev made the comment on Feb. 18 at a Russian-Italian conference in Genoa.

“Preparations for a second meeting between Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill are underway now for around June-July,” he was quoted as saying. “The place hasn’t been chosen yet.”

Pope Francis met with Patriarch Kirill at Havana airport in Cuba on Feb. 12, 2016, in the first meeting between a pope and a Patriarch of Moscow.

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Pope Francis celebrates a Filipino Christmas tradition at the Vatican

December 15, 2019 CNA Daily News 1

Vatican City, Dec 15, 2019 / 10:00 am (CNA).- On Gaudete Sunday, Pope Francis celebrated a Filipino Christmas tradition in St. Peter’s Basilica — the Simbang Gabi Christmas novena.

“In the Philippines, for centuries, there has been a novena in preparation for Christmas called Simbang Gabi, ‘Mass of the night’. During nine days the Filipino faithful gather at dawn in their parishes for a special Eucharistic celebration,” Pope Francis said Dec. 15.

“Through this celebration we want to prepare ourselves for Christmas according to the spirit of the Word of God that we have listened to, remaining constant until the Lord’s definitive coming,” he said in his homily for the Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica.

Pope Francis invited Rome’s Filipino community to celebrate Gaudete Sunday Mass at the Vatican in honor of the first day of the traditional novena. It is the first time that a pope has celebrated Simbang Gabi at the Vatican.

The Simbang Gabi tradition in the Philippines dates back to the 17th century. Filipinos hang a star outside their homes, and attend early morning Masses on each of the nine days before Christmas.

“In recent decades, thanks to Filipino migrants, this devotion has crossed national borders and has arrived in many other countries. Simbang-Gabi has also been celebrated in the diocese of Rome for years, and today we celebrate it together here, in St. Peter’s Basilica,” Pope Francis said.

The pope told the Filipino community gathered in St. Peter’s Basilica that they are called to be “leaven” in their parish communities in Italy, and encouraged them to share their “cultural and spiritual wealth.”

There are over 167,000 Filipinos residing in Italy, according to the Italian Ministry of Labor. Fr. Ricky Gente, chaplain for the Filipino community in Rome, address Pope Francis following the Mass:

“Almost 500 years ago, European missionaries planted the seed of faith in our beloved Philippines. We are happy and blessed because after five centuries we are here in Europe and throughout the world transmitting the joy and beauty of the Gospel,” Fr. Gente said.

“Before the celebration of the last World Day of Migrants and Refugees, the Holy Father shared with me that Filipino women are ‘smugglers of the faith,’” the priest said.

“Yes, it is true, we carry with us everywhere we go the torch of faith and of the Gospel in the world, the same faith and Gospel that have been transmitted to us. This is why today, here in front of you, you find a happy and smiling people because the flame of faith continues to burn intensely in our hearts,” he added.

The Filipino community gave Pope Francis a traditional Marian statue as an early birthday gift. The pope will celebrate his 83rd birthday on Dec. 17. Pope Francis responded after receiving the gift: “Be smugglers of the faith.”

“We are all invited to build together that communion in diversity that constitutes a distinctive trait of the Kingdom of God, inaugurated by Jesus Christ, Son of God made man,” the pope said in his homily. “We are all called to proclaim the Gospel together, the Good News of salvation, in all languages, so as to reach as many people as possible.”

“To adequately prepare ourselves for this new outpouring of grace, the Church offers us the time of Advent, in which we are called to reawaken in our hearts the expectation and to intensify our prayer,” Francis said.

“May the Holy Child that we are preparing to worship, wrapped in poor swaddling clothes and lying in a manger, bless you and give you the strength to carry on your testimony with joy,” Pope Francis said.

[…]

3 Comments

  1. The visit lasted little more than half an hour. Surely he knows that Russia is an atheist nation. Most certainly the leaders are. What did he expect to accomplish with this visit? We could all see this coming. And Biden continues to allow them to make money hand over fist with oil while he strangles our own domestic oil and gas production, with military preparedness damage to our country being part of the result. They have some pie in the sky hysteria about global warming and we are supposed to freeze to death in the dark and allow enemies to prosper because of it. China on average is building a new COAL FIRED power plant each WEEK!!! THAT is contributing mightily to global warming!! But our current leaders are too myopic and power mad to acknowledge the truth. Our people are endangering themselves in this wild goose chase to control the situation. Its like having your finger in the dike when the tsunami is on the way.People, make sure you vote out this bunch of incompetents on ALL levels as soon as possible, before we all need to learn Russian and Chinese. War and death in Ukraine. Yet another consequence of voting for “no mean tweets”.

    Reply

    • LJ – Many bravos.

      Interesting: Francis’s knee ache does not today prevent him from getting to the Russian Embassy. ATST, the Vatican has said that in five days his knee ache will not permit him saying Mass on Ash Wednesday. Francis’ knees today get his fingers into secular matters, but Francis’ knees will hurt too much to get him to Church next week. The prophetic stance is stunning.

      Reply

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